Violent Crimes

The saying ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ is one which we have probably all heard at one point in our lives. However, this saying can evoke strong emotion when considering the existence of conflict and violent crime in the world today.

Violent crimes include crimes where intentional harm is inflicted against another individual during the commission of the crime. Additionally, violent crimes can include the threat of intentional harm. The infliction of the harm can include the use of weapons, poison, bodily contact, and more. Most violent crimes are felonycrimes. These are considered the most serious crimes and carry a sentence of one year or more in prison.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s statistics, in 2010, approximately 1,246,248 violent crimes occurred in the United States. Additionally, aggravated assaults accounted for the highest number of violent crimes reported to law enforcement, at 62.5%. Moreover, robbery comprised 29.5% of violent crimes, forcible rape accounted for 6.8%, and murder accounted for 1.2% of estimated violent crimes in 2010.